New Possibilities With
Non-surgical Solutions

Notice: Zeuterin was commercially launched in the U.S. in 2014, following approval and use in several other countries by the name EsterilSol. The product, which was manufactured by Ark Sciences, is not currently being produced or distributed in any country due to the manufacturer’s financial challenges. While there is presently no indication of returning to the market, the formulation retains approval by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

Reports from the Field

As non-surgical options begin to become commercially available, private veterinary practitioners and not-for-profit organizations alike are incorporating products into their practices. The entities profiled below enhanced their ability to reduce numbers of unwanted litters of dogs by using ZeuterinTM and SuprelorinTM for male and female dogs, respectively. They together convey the truly diverse circumstances in which non-surgical fertility control--both what is available now and what will be available in the future--can be an asset to veterinarians, organizations, communities, and, of course, animals!

Wellness on Wheelz: A mobile veterinary clinic in southern Texas’s Rio Grand Valley, a region whose residents may have to drive 100 miles to find a “brick and mortar” veterinary hospital. The county’s open-admission shelter has been known to take in 40,000 animals per year, with euthanasia numbers running nearly that high. Dr. Amber Valinski’s mobile unit offers wellness care to dogs and cats. She also offered neutering with Zeuterin to help reduce numbers of unwanted litters and improve the health of the communities’ animals.

Dogs With No Names: An initiative in Alberta, Canada’s First Nations lands to give dogs a “pregnant pause” using Suprelorin implants. Food and water are scarce, and winters bitterly cold. As a consequence, while birth rates among the “dogs with no names” on these lands are high; so, too, is mortality. Dr. Judith Samson-French’s use of Suprelorin not only makes it possible to offer fertility control options in communities without veterinary surgical facilities; it also respects some residents’ resistance to surgical sterilization.

PAW Team: Portland Animal Welfare (PAW) Team champions the human-animal bond in a unique and significant way. The organization provides veterinary care to animals of Portland, Oregon’s (USA) homeless residents and plays an important role in connecting human clients to social services. With Zeuterin, PAW Team could neuter male dogs during monthly clinics, many of which are held outdoors, rather than arranging for sterilization at an outside surgical clinic. Zeuterin increased organizational efficiency, and both human clients and their dogs appreciated that it minimized time away from each other!

Animal Balance: A U.S.-based organization that provides high-volume, high-quality spay/neuter and veterinary care to islands world-wide, Animal Balance seeks ways to increase capacity in under-resourced regions and better respond to the social and cultural sensitivities of host communities. Its Z*M*A*S*H campaign model, launched in April 2014, enables the organization to do both. Animal Balance incorporated Zeuterin into its program, leaving the choice of sterilization method up to local veterinarians and/or pet owners.